It is not like me to share so much about myself because I’d much rather be learning more about YOU, but this gave me pause to have gratitude for the effect my life can have on others, so I want to share more about an extremely special goal that has occupied almost this entire past year and perhaps explain why you haven’t heard as much from me. I hope it will ignite a spark for setting some of your own goals.

TransRockies Run 2012 – SETTING GOALS!

This coming week, my husband David and I will be competing in the TransRockies Run. It is a 6-day stage race across the Rockies, run as a team of two. We must run together each day – beginning together, coming to each aid station together, and finishing each day together. It is 120 miles long and has over 20,000 feet elevation gain. We just spent the last 11 months training with a coach to meet our goals – train injury-free, train smart, be prepared to do our very best.

WHY are we doing this? Have we lost our minds??

We work with coaches and customers every day on setting and achieving goals, but we also seek to live it. No matter what, we will always set high goals for ourselves, reaching beyond what we imagine to be our limits. We want to live by example, especially for our kids.

Training for this was no laughing matter! We made a video of every single workout, to share and for our own accountability. (You can see our journey here – therunningmartins.com and here’s a recent fave:

We racked up over 1,500 miles and over 150,000 ft of elevation gain. We came through with lots of bumps, bruises, bloody crashes, injured toes, a concussion, and other minor injuries, but a HUGE sense of accomplishment and passion for helping people more than ever because if we can do THIS, we can certainly help people achieve the goals that mean something to them.

But what is super awesome is that because of the level of fitness we had both achieved prior to diving deep into the run training, fitness levels we achieved ONLY thanks to Beachbody programs and products (David lost 70 pounds!), we were able to do this at all. Also, because of the time afforded us to train thanks to our Beachbody businesses, we were able to train at a high level, travel to and train in unbelievable locations, and share our journey with the message of setting high goals. The journey has been a catalyst for change for so many people we’ve met, and within our teams. While Beachbody offers outstanding lifestyle solutions, it also opens the door to so many more experiences. TRULY INCREDIBLE and HUMBLING!!

Now it comes down to a few more days of training and then we’re off to put the polish on the entire experience. Some steps will be fun and easy, many others will be muddy and painful, but no matter what, we have gratitude for the support we’ve received from everyone around us during the entire journey.

Set Your OWN Goals!

Continue to set high goals for yourself and please connect with me to share! I want to help you reach YOUR goals, no matter the size. If it is important to you, then it is worth working for! Send me a message!

And please follow us this coming week at therunningmartins.com and pray we don’t fall off any mountains! THAT is definitely among our goals!

Post Birthday P90X Back & Biceps/Ab Ripper X

We had the BEST time on my birthday at our first Tough Mudder! As much as I love doing P90X, the Mudder trumped it. Sorry, Tony!

So, are you looking for a really great, classic moves, back and biceps workout? If so, this workout, one of the main discs in the P90X series, is the one for you! Alternating between back and biceps moves, it will leave your arms and back a floppy puddle of mush at the end.

Is P90X Back & Biceps appropriate for women?

I asked myself this very same question when I started, especially the first time when I couldn’t do a more than a few pull-ups without a chair. And then I asked myself again the next day when my arms hurt when driving the car! Ha! Anyway, with patience and practice, I’ve gotten stronger and so can you. Unless you’re taking steroids or something, you will not bulk up into He-Man and you will feel so accomplished and proud to see those guns popping in a very feminine way. Also, it will strengthen your back and really give beautiful balance to your entire body. Don’t be afraid to do this work! Many women shy away from P90X in favor of working on just the lower body and abs. Guess what? A great upper body accentuates everything you’ve got going on!

Another fantastic option for learning proper pull-up form is the pull-up assist band. Unlike a chair, this keeps your body aligned properly, is safer, and allows you to adjust how much of your own weight you are lifting. Very cool! I got one recently and can’t wait to play with it more. While I’m able to bust out a bunch of pull-ups now without assistance (thank you P90X!), I think this tool will help accelerate my progress even more. You can connect, one, two, or three of the red bands you see here, adjusting the tension.

P90X Ab Ripper X

Get familiar with this one because you’ll be doing it a lot in P90X! It is short, to the point, and oh so effective. I LOVE core workouts, so this one is really fun for me. If you are doing this part of P90X on a hard floor, I HIGHLY recommend a super soft mat. In a pinch, grab a bathmat, towels, anything soft and put it on your yoga mat. I use a really great mat from OPTP.com, but only for floorwork. It is far too soft for the P90X standing work and will get torn up from your shoes.

Insanity Insane Abs

Part of the Deluxe Kit that came with my Insanity, Insane Abs is no joke! Having done it a few times, I thought I’d do a video review of it. As you know, I have a lot of fun making video reviews of products, particularly Beachbody products. David films and then I edit and do the rest. Super easy production paired with royalty-free music (most of the time) and away we go. Never in a million years did I think this review would turn out to be my most popular – most views and most comments. I have the strangest song with it that gets the funniest comments – “Sweat On Ma Face” by Cipre. I have no idea who they are but the song made me laugh.

Is Insanity Insane?

What is the workout like? 30 insane minutes! There are cardio moves that will get you into the fat burning zone while targeting the core, but there are also plenty of slower, focused moves that will leave your core ON FIRE! Plan to not laugh for a few days afterwards if you aren’t used to challenging core work. Otherwise, if you’re looking for a great addition to your core workout rotation, Insanity Insane Abs is a must!

Buy Insanity Deluxe Kit

You can see the details and get your own copy of this workout paired with Insanity MAX Interval Sports Training here – Insanity Deluxe Kit.